Mumford & Sons are straightforward and explain that their latest release, Wilder Mind, is “a development, not a departure.” For their third album, the follow-up to 2012’s GRAMMY-winning Babel, the band push their well known acoustic and banjo-driven sound to the side for a much more rock and electric style.

“Towards the end of the Babel Tour, we’d always play new songs during soundchecks, and none of them featured the banjo, or a kick-drum,” Marcus Mumford said. “And demoing with Aaron [Dessner of the National] meant that, when we took a break, we knew it wasn’t going to involve acoustic instruments.”

Mumford is quick to explain that the band didn’t set a rule of “no acoustic instruments,” but instead had the desire to shake things up.

“The songwriting hasn’t changed drastically; it was led more by a desire to not do the same thing again,” he added. “Plus, we fell back in love with drums! It’s as simple as that.”

Mumford & Sons spent time in Brooklyn and London demoing the new tracks before they recorded the 12-song release at AIR studios in London.

“It felt completely natural, like it did when we started out,” Ben Lovett added. “It was very much a case of, if someone was playing an electric guitar, drums were going to complement that best; and, sonically, it then made sense to add a synth or an organ. We chose instruments that played well off each other, rather than consciously trying to overhaul it.”

Mumford & Sons’ new album Wilder Mind is available on iTunes on May 4. The band will be performing as part of Legends On Letterman on May 5 which will be available as a live stream on CBS.com and then also on-demand on CBS.com, the CBS Apps and CBS RADIO station websites.Wilder Mind Tracklist: